The Penn's Grove record., 1887-08-06
H LITTLE RUSTIC

Bob" Malcolm Richie said, regret
fully.
''l'm quite as sorry," his friend
Wynne replied, from behind a thick
veil of tobacco smoke.
"The fishing is really good, as you
know from yesterdays sport"
"Excellent--never caught finer trout;
and we couldn't have found a better
boarding. place. Besides. Malcolm, for
a flirting man like you, the facilities
Richie interrupted him with a hasty
gesture, by which be sought to indicate
that a certain lady was In the parlor,
quite within earshot.
Wynne raised his eyebrows in an
expressive manner, and glanced over
his shoulder at the fair and delicate
profile which the open window framed.
"Ahl'' he exclaimed, in German.
"So2 Sehr shon, NIGHT wahrP"
Eyes, very pretty. the little rustic, :"
Richie replied, in the same tongue,
which they continued to speak thence.
forth. Bot her name is jimmie"
sob, well. A rose by any"
"Y es, L know. But" with a look of
disgust, shat purple calico is too ut
terly-"
"Too, too" Wynne interrupted with
q laugh. "Vhat a prig you can be
when you've q mind to. Ritchie. But
1 saw her yesterday. when 1 thought
her about the prettiest girl / ever met,
1t was after We had come back from
fishing, when l took a stroll, as you
know, In which you were too lazy to
accompany me. Well. as I was COM
ing back. l saw. at the foot Of the gar
den, somebody up o tree. IL was this
niece. She had mounted a ladder, and
was feeding some fiuffs of birds In a
nest; / suppose n where the parents
had been killed. Fortunately / was
not seen, and so could watch without
offence her interest In the little orphans.
The sweet way In which she talked to
them, rs il they could understand her,
was really charming. Besides, l caught
a glimpse OF just the neatest ankle in
the world. My dear fellow, this is your
opportunity"
"How SOP"
..To be all alone, in an out of-the.
way place, with such an uncommonly
pretty girl, with your well-known pro-
clivities for flirting, you ought:to score
heavily"
SHOW absurd you are. l fond Of
firting2. Besides" with an air of So
lemnity, it wouldn't be fair TO firt with
her,"
Wynne laughed outright. "Do you
mean on princIpleP Or are you afraid
OF the old ladyr"
"Neither. It's the girl herself. She
might take it all in sober earnest"
Dyur, h-xI -. xvYfh o.oAha. faroyN
"Don't be a fool. She would take to
flirting as a duck to water. They all
do,o
ibid / understand you to say" in
terposed Richie, ''that she's the old
lady's niece2"
$50 l infer. She calls Mrs. Good
rich Aunt Nina"
"Uml And Mrs. Goodrich calls her
'Jinnie'-Jinnie Gray
"Call her Jeannette-Miss Jean.
nette. Now, by Jove," frightening
up, shat wouldn't be a bad way to
begin. Take the affair In hand. Richie
do"
Ritchie smiled. He was a very
handsome fellow, and rich, too. Wo-
men were apt TO throw themselves at
his head.
"Stay, and do your own flirting" he
suggested. "Why can't you stay?"
"Couldn't possibly. I'm up for a
case tomorrow, and-by Jovel 1 for.
got to tell Mr.. Goodrich l should want
a team In the morning"
Richie got up lazily. and together
they sailed forth to the barn.
1t was quite dusk when they re-
turned. The girl at the window had
gone, but there was a light in the Sec
ond-story front room, and out into the
deepening twilight fioated the soft
strains of n Of Gottschalk's most fin
ished pieces.
ga pianol" Richie exclaimed, in
surprise, swell, Jimmie is the family
prodigy, / suppose; and nothing which
these hard-working people IA earn is
too good for her."
When the gentlemen came down to
breakfast. the next morning, Farmer
Goodrich's niece Was just bringing In a
plate of mullins from the kitchen, and
her cheeks were softly flushed. The
coil of wavy brown hair at the back of
her head met Ritchie's entire approval;
but alasl she still wore an ill-ftting,
old-fashioned gown OF spotted purple
calico.
"Ah," Richie exclaimed, ''here
comes the siren. MISS Gray, you have
cast a spell upon u.s."
"SIrr" she said, with such a naive
uplifting OF her eyes, such q sweetly.
unconscious air, that Bob fairly gasped.
ut was you who played last night,
wasn't itY" Richie asked, In confusion.
"Oh, yes," was the ready response.
81 play every evening"
"Mr. Wynne and | were delighted.
We sat on the porch and listened for
over an hour"
"Why didn't you come upf" jimmie
asked, with the most unconventional
freedom. "Just come up whenever
you feel like it."
Yes" interposed the farmers wife,
''iist you make yourself at home, Mr..
Richie. Jinnie's got her pianny up
In the front room, and IL you'd like to